In general, voltage regulators are designed to automatically maintain a constant regulated voltage level. A voltage regulator can include both analog and digital electronic components. The voltage regulator can control one or more alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) voltages. The voltage regulator provides a regulated, stabilized output voltage level to components included in an electrical circuit independent of changes in the load current demand of the electrical circuit and the input voltage to the voltage regulator.
A voltage regulator can use a voltage-controlled current source to force a desired fixed voltage to appear at the output of the voltage regulator. Control circuitry included in the voltage regulator can monitor or sense the output voltage of the voltage regulator and adjust the voltage-controlled current source dependent on the load of the electrical circuit in order to hold the output voltage of the voltage regulator at the desired fixed voltage. A design limitation of the voltage-controlled current source can define the maximum load current the voltage regulator can source while still maintaining a regulated output voltage. Exceeding this design limitation may result in an unstable or out of regulation output voltage.